Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday apologized to the people of New Jersey, as he announced he fired aide Bridget Kelly for her role in a growing scandal about whether lane closures on the George Washington Bridge were political payback.

"I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team," Christie said. There is "no doubt in my mind the conduct exhibited is completely unacceptable and shows the lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and the people we are trusted to serve."

Christie's comments come as the New York Times reported the U.S. attorney will launch an investigation into the matter.

E-mails and texts indicating Christie aides may have plotted to cause traffic jams as political retribution against a local mayor have sparked a firestorm. The scandal threatens Christie as he looks ahead to a potential bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Several news organizations obtained copies of the communications, and the bridge scandal is being investigated by state lawmakers. State Sen. Ray Lesniak is calling for a federal investigation by the U.S. attorney's office.

"There's certainly reasonable suspicion that criminal acts have been involved here," Lesniak, a Democrat, said on CNN's New Day. "Not only abuse of governmental power for political purposes, but we have reckless endangerment of people's lives and possibly criminally negligent homicide."

David Wildstein, a top Christie appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is scheduled to testify later today before a state Assembly transportation committee.

Wildstein, a high school friend of the governor, resigned in December. He was the recipient of a message in August from Bridget Kelly, Christie's deputy chief of staff, who wrote,"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." Weeks later, Wildstein closed two of the tree lanes connecting Fort Lee to the heavily traveled George Washington Bridge.

Pleas from Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich went unheeded as the traffic jams continued. Sokolich, a Democrat, did not endorse Christie for re-election, during a campaign in which he stressed his ability to work across the aisle with political rivals.

The bridge delays reportedly slowed emergency workers trying to respond four calls, according to The Record. The Bergen, N.J., newspaper reported one of those calls involved an unconscious 91-year-old woman, who later died.

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate committee overseeing transportation, asked the federal Transportation Department in December to look into the lane closures.